The Carolina Hurricanes are off to a strong start this season, sitting atop the Metropolitan Division with a 14-6-2 record. However, they’ve hit a small bump lately, dropping two of their last three games.
One player drawing attention early in the year was their $62 million forward, whose sluggish start fueled trade chatter. Now, he’s finally addressed those rumors himself.
What Did the $62 Million Hurricanes Forward Say About His Trade Rumors?
Andrei Svechnikov, now in the fifth year of his eight-year, $62 million contract, started the season with a surprising dry spell, going eight games without a point despite leading the Hurricanes in playoff goals last spring. Since then, he’s bounced back, putting up seven goals and 12 points in 22 games.
On Saturday, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that Svechnikov was actually open to a trade earlier in the season.
Svechnikov quickly shut the talk down on Tuesday, calling it nothing more than a “rumor” and saying he doesn’t spend time worrying about that kind of noise. “Just a rumor, and I really don’t discuss those rumors, but thank you for the question. For the last two years it’s been like that. I deleted all of my social media a couple of years ago…”
He acknowledged that the slow start was challenging, but said he never doubted his ability to succeed. A few years ago, he admitted, rumors like these might have bothered him.
Svechnikov said he deleted his social media “a couple years ago” and just doesn’t pay attention to the noise. Said it’s actually “very easy” to deal with these things.
“You just close your eyes and play your hockey.”
— Cory Lavalette (@CoryLavalette) November 25, 2025
But now he’s learned to block out the noise. He said it’s become easier to shut out distractions and just play, explaining, “there’s always going to be talk.” His mindset now is simple: “You try to just close your eyes and play your game and focus on hockey.”
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Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour also dismissed the rumor, saying it meant nothing internally. He said, “Every time a player doesn’t get to play what we want, whether it’s the agent or whoever, they’re always calling, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ Well, sometimes you have to play better. He has and I think that’s all put to bed.”
With the rumors put to rest, the Hurricanes will next face the New York Rangers at home on Wednesday.
